Note: The gauge refered to in this section is a virtual "regional" gauge. It is in a nearby watershed but the proximity of the gauge and the river characteristics are similar. These gauges work best in the spring or wide area rain events. Do not rely on this gauge for localized rain events such as summertime thunderstorm activity. Current minimum run level for this stretch is still to be verified (see table below). There is a hand painted gage on a rock at six mile bridge (Upper Mad river road). It is located on river left just under the upstream edge of the bridge.
Level Painted gauge USGS EB gauge (CFS) Minimum 1.3 830 Scratchy <1.6 1200 Low <1.8 1530 Low to medium <2.1 2060 Medium <2.5 2870 Mdium high <2.8 3600 High >2.8 Too high......>above gage rock
Estimated chance (%) of finding the river runnable.
Month............% chance.................comment
January ............ 0%....Frozen. February.............0%....Frozen. March...............10%....usually Frozen. April...............35%....Best chance in late April May ................25%....Best chance in early May. June.................5% July.................3% August...............3%....Just a trickle September............3%....Lowest water month October........�.....8% November............20%....Fall rains, dormant trees December............20%....River starts freezing early in month.
Be aware this is averaged out over several years. The % chance refers to the probability of finding the river running on any given day. For instance a 3% probability for September means on average you can only expect 1 day of water. One year there could be 2 days in September with water, other years none. Spring levels are usually higher than fall levels. The river rises and falls rapidly because of the small steep watershed. An occasional summer storm could bring the river up for a couple hours.
Building a "Virtual" gauge for the Mad
In the table below visual observations have been matched with actual USGS gauge readings from the East Branch USGS. This is an attempt to build a �Virtual� gauge for the Mad. Virtual gauges work best during spring runoff and widespread rain events but should not be relied upon for localized rain events such as thunderstorm activity. Once enough observations have been matched with the USGS gauge readings, we will determine which USGS gauge readings best matches the Mad river's runoff profile.
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*RR=rising rapidly RS=rising slowly S=steady FR=falling rapidly FS=falling slowly |
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Mad 1 [ NH ] |
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| Stage | Flow | Updated |
| 0.61 | 9/7 1:15 |
| Level Legend: | Running | Below Minimum Recommended Flow | Above Maximum Recommended Flow | Unknown |
| State | River Name/Section | Class | Level | Rel. Level | Updated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NH | Mad— 1. Highway 49 Bridge (Waterville Valley) to Campton | III-IV | 0.61 Feet | low | 9/7 1:15 | |
| NH | Mad— 2. Gorge | III | 0.61 Feet | low | 9/7 1:15 |